


Sacrifices

by Kizmet



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Reaction, Speculation, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 02:08:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14631873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kizmet/pseuds/Kizmet
Summary: Slightly fic-ish sorting through "Infinity War" part 1.SPOILERS!  Obviously





	Sacrifices

**Author's Note:**

> So starting to digest IW:P1 
> 
> The emotional reaction from the deaths didn't last... Because I just don't buy that those who got dusted are going to stay gone: Black Panther, Spider-Man and Strange (distant third)? Three shiny new franchises, poof? And not even in their own movie? I don't buy it, more likely everyone who got dusted's storyline has been put on hold BECAUSE they've got a future past IW:P2 and Marvel needs the space in P2 to focus on finishing the storylines for the characters who are really leaving... I think the survivors of P1 are in much greater danger than the confirmed casualties. 
> 
> Um Rhodey? What happened to "138 combat missions. That's how many I've flown, Tony. Every one of them could've been my last, but I flew 'em. Because the fight needed to be fought. It's the same with these Accords. I signed because it was the right thing to do. And, yeah, this sucks. This is… This is a bad beat. But it hasn't change my mind." Sure Thanos coming trumps the Accords at the moment but still a little tension instead of "Welcome home" for the people who made that fight necessary, PLEASE!!! 
> 
> Vision/Wanda? Still blech.

“Well, who’s going to say it?” Tony asked bitterly once they’d all compared notes. “Strange should have stuck to his guns. Without the Time Stone, Thanos couldn’t have gotten the Mind Stone. With only four of six Infinity Stones, half of the universe wouldn’t be gone today. The trade wasn’t worth it, Strange should have let me die.”

“The deck was stacked against us from the beginning,” Rocket replied, not a trace of life in his voice. He nodded in Nebula’s direction. “Gamora couldn't stand by and watch her die, so she gives up the Soul Stone. But she tells Quill to kill her to keep it out of Thanos’ hands… And he does it, pulls the trigger. But it don’t matter. Same story plays out with Thor’s brother givin’ up the Space Stone and Witch girl killing her lover to keep the Mind Stone from him. If I know Nova Prime and the Collector it’s another repeat: Prime says ‘You’ll take the Stone from our cold, dead hands’ and Thanos does. The Collector says ‘Take it, it’s not worth my life’ and Thanos does, then he kills ‘em anyway. Quill screws the plan for shitty reason, the Witch screws the plan for less shitty reasons- And it doesn’t matter! They both play into Thanos’ hands. Face it, the Universe was against us. The wizard trades the Time Stone for your life or he watches you die? It doesn’t make a rat’s ass worth of difference, Thanos was gonna get that Stone one way or another.” 

"No," Natasha shook her head. “Tony doesn’t fit the pattern. Loki couldn’t watch his brother die. Gamora couldn’t watch her sister die. For all that they fought, in the end they loved their siblings too much and so they gave up the Stones. Vision and Gamora, they knew, knew that they were the key to one of the Stones. They had time to think, to decide that they couldn’t be the reason Thanos won, so they asked the person they trusted most to- To make sure they... couldn’t give it up. And because Wanda and Quill loved them, as awful as it was, they both granted their request."

"It didn't MATTER!" Clint exclaimed. "Wanda destroys the Mind Stone and Vision but the Time Stone reveres his death, Thanos kills him to get the Mind Stone anyway. Quill pulls the trigger but the Reality Stone stops Gamora from dying at his hand, Thanos kills her to get the Soul Stone anyway."

"In all cases love was the driving force," Natasha continued. "Even Thanos had to love Gamora to gain the Soul Stone for her sacrifice. But Strange doesn’t love Tony, he barely knows Tony. Strange knows the cost of losing, he knows _Tony_ knows the cost of losing. And he gives up the Time Stone anyway, it doesn’t make sense.”

Steve turned to Tony, “You said Strange saw one path forward, one path to victory. I think we have to assume that he was following it. Thanos assembled the Gauntlet, he took half the lives in the universe, at random. But not Tony, not Thor, not Nebula: Three lives bought for the price of an Infinity Stone and all three spared. Tony and Nebula were the only survivors on Titan. Tony, I think you’re the key to Strange’s path forward. I think he HAD to sacrifice a Stone for you to secure that path.”

Nebula tilted her head to the side. “If a life bought at the cost of an Infinity Stone grants some form of protection against them. If I can turn my sister’s betrayal of herself on itself to make Thanos bleed…” She smiled viciously. “Sign me up.”

“Aye, me too,” Thor said. 

Tony took a deep breath, “Right, time to make Thanos regret not killing us.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've started watching reviews. "Beyond the Trailer" pointed out the Quill/Gamora and the Wanda/Vision storylines were too similar to not either USE the symmetry or to underline some critical difference. Instead both stories just played out, as if they weren't sharing a movie with another parallel storyline and that's not great. I think the same could be said of Loki and Gamora both giving up a Stone for the estranged sibling whom they recently made-up with. 
> 
> Structurally IW nags at me. Give sacrifice for love, sacrifice someone you love for the greater good: The result is the same. Quill costs them the chance for to get the gauntlet by losing his head over Gamora's death, Wanda chose to leave Vision's side opening the path for Glaive to screw-up Shuri's effort to separate the Mind Stone from Vision. It doesn't matter. No matter what they did, Thanos was going to win because Thanos had to win act one... But I still sort of feel like there should have been some unifying flaw instead of whatever they do they're doomed to lose because it's part one of two.


End file.
